New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) walks off the field after losing to the Detroit Lions, 20-17, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. Nfl Ny Jets Vs Detroit Lions Lions At Jets
Syndication: The Record
(Florham Park, NJ) – Sunday’s loss against the Dallas Cowboys also marked Jets QB Zach Wilson’s first chance to play a full game as starter here in 2023. Ultimately, it wasn’t a success — given New York lost 30-10.
But head coach Robert Saleh tells reporters he saw clear improvement, even if the final stat line wasn’t the pretty.
Undoubtedly some Jets fans will be miffed to hear of Saleh’s assessment. What about the three interceptions Wilson threw? Saleh saw that as a young player just trying to do too much while trailing big.
As reported by ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Saleh said, “did it get away from him in the fourth quarter, when I felt like he was trying to make a play with us being down three scores? Yeah, he made a couple of throws that he didn’t need to make. But up until then, I felt like if we could have just got them the damn ball and gave them some more opportunities, I think people were seeing that he was playing pretty well up until when it was garbage time and he was trying to force the ball.”
But big picture, separating stat lines from what a coach sees on the sidelines, Saleh said, “Anyone who watches football — and you look at it from a global standpoint — will see that he’s so much improved in the pocket, his presence in the pocket. I thought he delivered a lot of really good passes. … He took care of the ball. He scrambled when he needed to. He stepped up in the pocket when he needed to.”
Nfl Ny Jets Vs Detroit Lions Lions At Jets
Jets fans may or may not agree with that view. But it seems the team remains committed to Wilson for now, even as some pundits worry the team is risking spoiling a potential Super Bowl-level defense with sub par QB play.
Guys like Matt Ryan could be telling their agent to wait by the phone, or Gang Green could lose patience and investigate the trade market. For now, Saleh is sticking with Wilson.
